2-950-213 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Ohio Centennial Building, 1888. 'Ohio Centennial Columbus - Opens Sept. 4th - Closes Oct. 19th - 1888'. The Centennial Jubilee of Freedom at Columbus, Ohio, was a celebration by African Americans of the Ordinance of 1787 and the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. The book includes an oration by Bishop Benjamin William Arnett of the African Methodist Episcopal Church on the achievement of freedom in the USA by African Americans, and on the need of African Americans to exercise their civil rights freely. The temporary domed structure on the right, which had a capacity of 12,000, was built at the Ohio State Fairgrounds and was used for the six-week celebration, including the opening ceremonies.